Unitree secures two humanoid design patents as shipments pass 5500
Design patents granted in China
Chinese robotics company Unitree Robotics has been granted two design patents covering humanoid robot designs, according to public disclosures from China’s National Intellectual Property Administration. The patents were approved on Jan. 6 and Jan. 20, reinforcing Unitree’s intellectual property position in humanoid form factors.
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The filings focus on external industrial design rather than control software or actuation mechanisms. Design patents in China typically protect the visual appearance and structural layout of a product, which can be relevant as multiple vendors converge on similar humanoid geometries.
Commercial shipments exceed 5500 units
Alongside the patent approvals, Unitree disclosed that it shipped more than 5500 humanoid robots during 2025. While the company did not provide a detailed breakdown by model, the figure represents one of the larger publicly reported shipment volumes in the emerging humanoid robotics market.
Unitree is best known for its legged robotics portfolio and has increasingly positioned its humanoid platforms for research, developer access, and early commercial use cases. Shipment volume at this scale suggests demand beyond laboratory pilots, even if most deployments remain limited in scope.
Implications for the humanoid robotics market
The combination of design patent protection and rising shipment numbers highlights intensifying competition among humanoid robot manufacturers, particularly in China. As more suppliers enter the market, design differentiation and manufacturing scale are becoming practical factors alongside autonomy and manipulation performance.
For operators and system integrators, Unitree’s disclosures provide a data point on vendor maturity, signaling progress toward repeatable production and sustained deliveries rather than isolated demonstrations.
Source: TechNode
